Placer County Hopes Skid-Resistant Coating Will Cut Down On Accidents

PLACER COUNTY (CBS13) — A new paving technology coming to Placer County should help cut down on crashes by cutting back on skidding.

Work will begin in the fall on some of the most crash-prone roadways—most in the Auburn area, including Dry Creek, Placer Hills and Auburn Folsom roads.

Keeley Paregian’s feed store is nestled along Auburn Folsom road with a number of dangerous turns and a lot of drivers who can’t handle them.

“A lot of accidents a lot of rear ends a lot of driving into a tree,” she said.

With a federal government grant, the county is hoping to cut back on those crashes. It’s moving forward with a $1.5 million project to make the roads more skid-resistant.

The county has used similar materials in the past, including coating the road on Forest Hill Bridge with good results, cutting accidents in half.

A new version promises to go the distance and claims to not wear down over time.

Mixed with epoxy, the material is coated on the road, and is cheaper than previous safety projects. For the cost 18 stretches of roadway targeted, the county would pay the same on just one curve with older materials.

If the new material is a success, which the county expects, more roads will be targeted, and hopefully have fewer accidents on the curves.

The county says the process won’t mean a lot of road closures, because it can be done quickly.